Later this month, Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead, and Wes Burns of Ipswich Town will head off for international duty in an attempt to help Wales win the European Championship for the third time in a row.
Although this is fantastic news for the players concerned and demonstrates how well Ipswich is performing, you can’t blame the team’s supporters for feeling a little uneasy when they learned that three important players would likely be playing in two important international matches rather than getting a break.
Although Moore’s loan from Bournemouth was partly motivated by his desire to be ready for these crucial Wales matches, no one can argue with the players’ opportunity to represent their county in major tournaments. Still, Kieran McKenna and the Ipswich supporters will be anxiously observing on March 21. Ipswich is still in the running for automatic promotion after their painful late loss to Cardiff City last time out. To have a chance to make one more push for Premier League promotion, they will need all three of their Welsh international players to be healthy.
McKenna, who was a Northern Ireland youth international himself, will understand what it means to represent his country and will undoubtedly wish his players well, even though he presumably wishes they didn’t have to travel for international duty this month.
The players might have had some time off to rest and recover following Saturday’s league game, giving them two weeks off before their next international break and a full week or so to get ready for their match against Blackburn Rovers.
The Welsh team, however, will play Finland in a play-off semifinal on Thursday, March 21, and then potentially play either Poland or Estonia in the final on March 26.
The Ipswich trio has a demanding schedule that may lead to weariness and burnout throughout these challenging games.
McKenna’s only consolation is that Wales will host both play-off matches, meaning his players won’t have to fly across Europe, which might further increase player tiredness. Leeds United, who are vying for promotion, will also be in attendance. Regular players for Wales include Connor Roberts, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, and Daniel James.
The Tractor Boys need to win eight games to get back into the top two and earn back-to-back promotions after the international break. Their chances of doing so will depend on Moore being fully fit.
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